Youth activists release thousands of crickets to disrupt anti-trans hate group conference

On Friday, a group of youth activists released over 6,000 crickets at an anti-trans hate group’s conference in the United Kingdom.

The bugs were released during an event of the LGB Alliance, interrupting a speech by anti-trans advocate Jamie Reed regarding transgender healthcare. The group Trans Kids Deserve Better claims credit for the action. 

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Journalist Michael Baggs released a video of the crickets, showing them infesting seats as conference hosts rally people to vacate the premises. “Someone released a box of crickets in the LGB Alliance conference hall. Alexa play Despacito,” he said, in reference to a popular meme meant to give mocking sympathy.

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Someone released a box of crickets in the LGB Alliance conference hall. Alexa play Despacito pic.twitter.com/lnCZRCTkey

— Michael Baggs (@MichaelBaggs) October 11, 2024

Police were called to the event but made no arrests. The protestors were, however, escorted off the premises.

Trans Kids Deserve Better is a youth-led trans advocacy group that has made headlines in recent months for occupying the Department of Education and climbing NHS (National Health Service) England’s headquarters.

The British group LGB Alliance was founded in 2019 to oppose the trans advocacy organization Stonewall. Reed is a former Washington University case worker who has since entered the public eye as a “whistleblower” for gender-affirming care. Many of her claims, however, have been disputed by patients she served.

The conference opened with J.K Rowling railing against the idea that trans women can be lesbians. Rowling said on X of the cricket incident, “Did any of those releasing insects in an attempt to sabotage the @AllianceLGB conference have a split second of sanity in which they thought ‘Am I in fact proving every critic of gender identity ideology right? Is trying to disrupt a meeting of gay people a tad homophobic?’”

Did any of those releasing insects in an attempt to sabotage the @AllianceLGB conference have a split second of sanity in which they thought 'Am I in fact proving every critic of gender identity ideology right? Is trying to disrupt a meeting of gay people a tad homophobic?'

— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) October 11, 2024

The conference was not about gay rights but rather about opposing transgender rights and healthcare.

Reed said on X, “Please take note: I will not be silenced. You can try everything to intimidate me into silence. It will not work. As I was to take the stage at the @AllianceLGB conference a [trans rights activist] dumped bags of live bugs. We went through two layers of security, including metal detectors.”

Please take note: I will not be silenced.

You can try everything to intimidate me into silence. It will not work.

As I was to take the stage at the @AllianceLGB conference a TRA dumped bags of live bugs.

We went through two layers of security, including metal detectors. pic.twitter.com/f3WxSHM4oy

— Jamie Reed Whistleblower (@JamieWhistle) October 11, 2024

Kate Barker, the CEO of LGB Alliance, said in a statement to My London that the incident was “attempted sabotage.”

“It’s a sad end to what’s been a wonderful day. It was distressing to see thousands of insects killed for the sole purpose of trying to disrupt the UK’s only conference for same-sex attracted people.” She then went on to equate transgender rights with homophobia.

LGBTQ Nation reached out to Trans Kids Deserve Better for comment but did not receive a response before publication. The group said in a satirical video of the event, “Our sources at the scene tell us that the talk by Jamie Reed on taking away trans healthcare was stopped by these brave bugs, with thousands of six-legged friends hopping about in protest.”

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A post shared by Trans Kids Deserve Better (@transkidsdeservebetter)

They continue by describing how the LGB Alliance has opposed bans on conversion therapy and brought up “proud speeches about shutting down trans healthcare.” The person in the video continued, “Who are they helping? With these crickets deciding to fight transphobia, many bugs are standing up for trans kids right now, antennae held up high.”

One of their members also said in a statement, “It makes me really angry to see trans kids being talked about like a bunch of brainless children who can’t make decisions for or speak for themselves. I’m sick of having our voices taken away by bigoted people like the LGBA who speak over us instead of listening.”

“Whilst we, the trans community, cobble together what little support we can to keep each other safe, this group claiming to stand for social progress spends hundreds of thousands of pounds annually to keep us down. We are trans kids, we are loved, and we deserve dignity. They may try to ‘sound the alarm’ on trans youth accessing life-saving healthcare but we cannot and will not let them. Trans youth are powerful and we will let them f**king know it.”

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